Pai Skincare

Company Name: Pai Skincare Ltd. Founded: August 2007 HQ: London Founders: Sarah Brown Employees: 10 USP: 100% Natural and organic beauty products that are formulated and manufactured in-house by an all-female team and certified by the Soil Association.

Q&A with Sarah Brown:

Q: How did you get started and where did the idea come from?

I created Pai after years of suffering with the skin allergy Urticaria. I struggled to find anything my skin could tolerate and that was as premium and aspirational as the mainstream products my friends were using! There was nothing on the market, so I quit my job and retrained in cosmetics. In 2007 Pai was born and I've never looked back.

Q: What has been your biggest challenge?

Growing the business with minimal funds. I started out with £15,000 of my own life savings and after six years have only recently taken on external investment.

Q: What has been your biggest success?

Formulating my own products. Most beauty products are developed by external cosmetic formulators.

Q: What was the best business advice you received when starting out?

Find your niche and own it. When someone asks me or one of our team, "what is Pai?" The answer is always "an organic range of skin care for sensitive skin".

I've also taken Warren Buffet's advice: "Don't do anything unless it makes money." That simple rule allows us to say no to lots of interesting opportunities that might ordinarily tempt us to waste time and money.